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Editorial and user-generated content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any issuer.

Credit cards for excellent credit tend to be the most attractive offers on the market (some cards are from WalletHub partners). They provide the most lucrative ongoing rewards, the lowest interest rates and the best initial perks. That includes rewards bonuses worth hundreds of dollars as well as 0% intro rates on purchases and balance transfers for an extended period of time. And that is why you need a nearly spotless financial track record to qualify for these offers.

If you don’t know whether you have excellent credit, you can quickly check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub. And if you’d like a recommendation, our editors picked their favorites in the most popular credit card categories.

What are the best credit cards for people with excellent credit?

By: John Kiernan, Credit Card EditorCredit cards for excellent credit tend to be the best offers on the market. With that in mind, our editors compared 1,000+ cards to find the best overall deals for the most important usage categories.

As you consider their favorites below, bear in mind that you don’t have to pick just one. Using the Island Approach (i.e., opening a few different cards for each of your biggest needs) is a great way to maximize your savings if you think you can manage multiple accounts at the same time. Just don’t apply for them all at once.

If you’d rather come to your own conclusions about which card best meets your needs, taking the following tips into account will lead to the best results.

How to Find the Best Credit Card for Excellent Credit – 5 Tips

Cut your options in half. Do you want rewards or financing? It’s as simple as choosing between paper and plastic at the grocery store, and this decision will split the universe of credit cards for excellent credit into an even smaller segment. It all comes down to whether you plan to pay your bill in full each month. If you do, go with rewards. If you don’t, focus on 0% cards.
From there, you can reduce your list of viable options even further by choosing between cash back and travel rewards or 0% purchases and 0% balance transfers.

Be realistic about your travel habits. A lot of people want travel rewards credit cards but don’t really need them. If you’re in the market for rewards, as opposed to 0% rates, you need to consider what type of card will allow you to earn the most value and redeem often enough to actually enjoy the fruits of your labor. So leave the travel cards to frequent travelers, not the folks who take a trip or two per year.

Use the Island Approach. No credit card is perfect, offering the best possible terms in every category, from fees to rewards to interest rates. So don’t go looking for a single card to meet all of your needs. Instead, consider using a few different cards, each of which is designated for a specific type of transactions. For example, one card could be for gas rewards, another for everyday cash back and another still for paying down a big-ticket purchase over time. That’s called the Island Approach.

Don’t be scared of annual fees. Paying an annual fee isn’t necessarily a bad thing when you have excellent credit. If doing so enables you to get far better terms than are available from no annual fee credit cards and thus save more money overall, then it’s money well spent. You just have to factor such fixed costs into your calculations.

Understand excellent credit won’t always cut it. Excellent credit doesn’t guarantee you approval for an excellent-credit credit card. A number of other factors are in play, too, including your income and existing debt obligations. So if you want to maximize your chances of getting your top credit-card choice, focus on improving your complete financial picture.

Finally, if you’d prefer not to do the legwork, you can simply sign up for a free WalletHub account to get customized card recommendations as well as free credit scores, reports and 24/7 monitoring.

What makes credit cards for excellent credit different from other cards?

By: John Kiernan, Credit Card Editor

A number of things separate credit cards for people with excellent credit from the crowd. Some are obvious. Others may come as a surprise. Here are the most important differentiators:

Exclusivity – You generally need a long, (mostly) spotless credit history to get an excellent-credit credit card. You also need enough income to justify a spending limit of at least $10,000.

Better Terms – Since issuers don’t have to worry as much about missed payments, credit cards for people with excellent credit tend to have lower interest rates and better rewards than other cards.

For example, the average APR among credit cards for people with excellent credit is just 13.16%, according to WalletHub’s latest Credit Card Landscape Report. Meanwhile, credit cards for people with good and fair credit charge 18.14% and 22%, respectively.

Sign-up Incentives – Many excellent-credit credit cards offer big initial rewards bonuses and/or 0% introductory APRs for an extended period of time as a way to attract new customers. Banks are eager to sell more than just credit cards (e.g., investing and retirement services) to members of this elite credit segment, after all.

Credit cards for people with excellent credit don’t always have the lowest fees, though. Yes, dozens of no-annual-fee credit cards for excellent credit are available. But most of the best rewards cards charge membership fees in order to afford their generous earning rates. Still, you can more than make up for such fixed costs by regularly making purchases and paying your bill in full each month.

Doing so will make it easier to gauge your odds of approval for an excellent-credit credit card. Just remember that you credit score isn’t the only factor that an issuer will take into account. Your income and existing debt obligations also contribute to your overall creditworthiness, for example.

What happens if I don’t have excellent credit and apply for an excellent-credit credit card anyway?

By: John Kiernan, Credit Card Editor

Every time you apply for a credit card, your credit score will temporarily drop. And the more applications you submit within a short period of time, the worse the damage will be. As a result, applying for a credit card that you know you won’t get approved for will only set you back, making it harder to qualify for a more appropriate card the second time around.

So make sure to check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub before choosing and applying for a new card. And hold off on trying to get an excellent-credit credit card until you have the requisite credit standing. There are plenty of great cards for people with good, fair or even bad credit that you can use in the meantime.

How long does it take to get excellent credit?

By: John Kiernan, Credit Card Editor

It usually takes a few years to truly establish excellent credit. But it’s possible to get there much quicker, even in a matter of months, if only temporarily. The exact timeframe depends on your starting point and how responsibly you manage your finances. For example, someone with no prior credit history who gets a credit card and makes on-time payments every month will reach excellent credit much faster than someone with severely damaged credit who regularly pays late.

It’s also worth noting that having an excellent credit score isn’t always enough to get an excellent-credit credit card. Your income and debt obligations play a big role, too. For one thing, you have to demonstrate the ability to make payments on a card with a fairly high spending limit.

You can see where your credit stands at the moment, get personalized advice for how to improve it as quickly as possible, and track your progress from day to day by signing up for a free WalletHub account. You can also learn more about credit improvement and how long it typically takes from this WalletHub guide.

Why do some credit cards for excellent credit have annual fees?

By: John Kiernan, Credit Card Editor

You might assume that the best credit cards are the cheapest. But with rewards in particular, it’s often a case of getting what you pay for. Issuers can only give away so much free stuff, after all. So those that offer truly generous rewards may use annual fees to offset some of the cost. But such offers can still end up saving you more money than the no-fee alternatives, assuming you pick the right one and use it strategically.

This is one reason comparing rewards credit cards can be so confusing. It’s also why crunching the numbers to see how much net rewards value each card will provide based on your own spending habits is so important.

With that being said, things are a bit different if you don’t plan to pay your bill in full every month or make purchases on a regular basis. You don’t want to pay a fee to finance a big-ticket purchase or transfer a balance, as doing so would be like paying interest in advance. And most 0% credit cards for people with excellent credit don’t charge annual fees in recognition of the fact that prospective customers want to minimize costs. Similarly, you’ll want to choose from one of the many no-annual-fee credit cards for excellent credit if you plan to use your card sparingly because you might not earn enough rewards to break even.

Community Discussion

Comparing Credit Cards for Excellent Credit can be tough. But you’ve got the knowledgeable WalletHub community on your side. We encourage everyone to share their knowledge while respecting our content guidelines. Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not the financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered....show moreshow less

Ask a question or help others find the best credit card by sharing some tips.

The most attractive feature of Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard is earning 2 miles reward on every dollar spent. When redeemed for travel statement credits, each mile is worth one cent. Moreover, I get a rebate of 10% immediately after redemption which essentially makes this card a 2.2% cash back card when redeemed for purchases in the travel category. Soon after applying for this card, I found that I can also earn miles by writing travel stories on Barclaycard Travel Community and participating in Barclay's Rewards Fan Zone Program. With several ways to accumulate miles, they add up quickly.

The card I use is the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card. What was the deciding factor that made me pick this card? Well that’s simple. I knew at the time that I had quite a few things to pay for, including a flight ticket, within 3 months. With this card, I will spend $1,000, but I will actually only spend $900 because of the initial cash back bonus. That’s instant savings already! But of course, it didn’t end there. Ever since, I have been using it regularly for many other purchases, because I get some cash back for pretty much every purchase I make. The rewards are awesome. That is the primary factor. The icing on the cake would be not having to pay for annual fees.

As one who often gets sent on business trips overseas, the Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) is my best friend. On top of no foreign transaction fees, the CSP awards 2x Ultimate Reward Points for expenses that fall under the Travel and Dining category which is where most of my reimbursable expenses fall, making this card very lucrative. Reward redemption options are flexible. I usually transfer my Ultimate Rewards to United. Last but not least, this card comes with an attractive sign up bonus offer as well as bonus for adding an authorized user and annual fee waived for one year.

I have used a lot of different credit cards in the past, but I have to say that my Chase Freedom card is the best so far. When I was with Washington Federal, they would hold onto my money, and I was unable to withdraw any money at certain times of the day, even if I was one minute late. Then, they would charge me extra money for a late fee. I got so fed up with them that I took out all of the money from the bank except for a penny. I switched over to Chase Freedom and got my card. Now, I can withdraw and transfer my money any time that I want to. It is so much more simple. They also do not put a time limit on the time I am allowed to use the card, or how much I want to use on the card. I have excellent credit, and so there have been no problems at all. I have not even had to call or make a complaint or ask questions with Chase.

I use an American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card, and I chose it for a couple of reasons. I looked through a lot of credit cards before choosing the the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card and found that it had the best rewards program that fits into my spending style. The card offers many double and triple points options and then points are easily redeemable as statement credits, or they can be used the same as cash while shopping at Amazon. The second reason I chose it was the card was the fact that it has no pre-set spending limit. This helps me substantially if I am traveling, or just want to make a large purchase on the card for the benefit of the points.

I find that obtaining a credit card that requires excellent credit can be a pain for some. I personally have had to try different options when choosing a credit card that required excellent credit even though my credit score is higher than most. It may be easier for those with much better credit than me though. But be prepared for a hassle though if you do not have the best of credit.

I find that obtaining a credit card when an individual has excellent credit, is really not difficult. I find the difficulty lies in deciding which credit card should an individual select, as I am sure there will be multiple offers from various companies. Once an individual chooses a credit card that provides them with the best benefits that pertain to their situation, then I find the individual has made what is seemed to be a difficult decision, a much more easier one.

I use an American Express Card and it helps me to get the best rewards. I do not have an annual fee and a high reward rate, which I can get because of my credit rating. That helps me with travel rewards.

Most of the best rewards cards will require excellent credit but the Capital One Quicksilver One is available for average credit and it offers the same rewards as the Quicksilver for excellent credit. Use it responsibly for a while and your credit score will improve to the point where you can get other great rewards card.

Acquiring excellent credit can be difficult. However, I fully believe that if there is a will, there is a way. I started building my credit in college. I opened a card offered to students with a credit limit of just $500. But after the card company saw that I made full payments on time, they kept upping my limit. Now, ten years later, I have a number of credit cards with high limits because I make substantial payments on all of them in a timely manner. I have yet to be turned down for a card.

My experiences with credit cards have been really great. I use them for most of my shopping, I buy business stock and supplies. They allow me to get discounts on air fares, rental cars, hotel rooms and meals when I travel. I love the way I get emails on all of my transactions, this way I can save the information for tax time. They are great for miles and bonus points so I can buy gas or something else I need. Credit cards have helped me feel safer because I don't have to carry a lot of cash. Many businesses don't accept checks any more so I use my credit cards to pay.

I definitely plan on getting a credit card in the future. However, I'm not entirely sure how good my credit is to begin with. I'm fairly confident that I would be able to obtain a credit card, but the interest rate would be a crucial factor in deciding which credit card it would be best for me to choose. I do feel that having a credit card is essential to building and maintaining good credit, and that is why I am going to be exploring my options in the near future.

Personally it's easy for me to acquire a credit card that requires good to excellent credit.The things I mainly look for when looking to acquire another credit card are the rewards credit cards offer. I search for those with rewards I would actually use.Also fees and interest rates play a factor as well. I am always on the look out for a new credit card that offers more than what I already have.I feel it is foolish to stick to one card for too long because newer and better cards are constantly coming out.

As a person who doesn't have great credit who has been with someone who does have a great credit for years, you will most likely get a better credit card with a positive credit history. Usually it means you don't have to put money into the credit card before you can use it, you get much better interest rates, and better rewards. That being said, having a credit card is one of the best way to build your credit back up. And even the cards for people with not so great credit usually have some sort of rewards program.

You do not need excellent credit to enjoy the best benefits. However, it's not easy to find credit cards that provide high-end benefits to people with less than the best credit. I have fair credit and I have a low interest rate card that comes with benefits you'd expect from the best cards like cash back and loyalty programs. You just have to be diligent and shop around when looking for a card and that work will pay off if you can find that card that provides excellent features.

It is not hard to get a credit card when you have excellent credit, but it is difficult to find one that offers great rewards. My Husband has a Chase Slate card, and I have to say that he has really loved it. I really like the Quicksilver cash rewards card from Capital One, it is easy because the 1.5% cash back I get is on every purchase. I like that I don't have to think about the "category" of my purchase when considering my rewards. I think in the future I may apply for the VentureOne card by Capital One too.

I possibly would qualify for a credit card for those with good credit. I however would not like to have one. You still have to pay interest even if it's a lower rate. I would rather pay in cash and not get nickel and dimed by all of the debt. It's easy to spend money on credit cards for a reason. It's best to use just for emergency.

I've had the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card for about 2 years now, and it's absolutely one of the best cards that I've ever used.I have a perfect credit history and consequently an excellent credit score so I pretty much have the pick of the cards I want.

While there is a definite feeling of accomplishment that comes along with qualifying for a card tailored to those with premium credit, in my experience, many of the perks and benefits that go along with those cards are not of any practical benefit to me. I don't need huge credit limits, because the last thing I need is the temptation to celebrate my rebuilt credit score by taking on thousands of dollars in new debt. Even though I have rebuilt my credit from the sewer over the last couple of years, the plebeian, low-limit credit cards I have now are more than sufficient for my needs.

I tend to agree. I have good credit, so why would I want to take on more debt? However, there is one premium card that I did sign up for. It offered a free hotel night once a year, and the annual fee for the card was $35. So I figure I am getting a deal by only paying $35 for that one hotel night, while getting the extra benefits of the premium card, such as double points. That seems worth it to me.

Credit card rewards do get better as your credit gets better. I started out with a card that had a high interest rate, an annual fee, and a very small limit. I now have several credit cards with very high limits, no fees, low rates, and good rewards. American Express has a point system and points can be redeemed for nearly anything, including gift cards. While American Express may require excellent credit, there are other cards with good rewards which do not require a high credit rating. Bank of America's cash reward card is very attainable with average credit. It offers 1% cash back on anything, and up to 3% cash back on certain other things. It also has no annual fee. That is not a small reward for a credit card, especially for someone with average credit. So while better credit may increase your rewards, there are still perfectly good reward cards out there for the rest of us.

I have to admit, I really appreciate having cards that acknowledge my excellent credit rating. While I've never actually had to collect on things like the collision damage waiver for rental cars, or had occasion to use the concierge-type services offered by some, it's nice to know that they're there should I ever want or need them.
All that said, you should be aware that your cards can still let you down. For example, I went through a rough spell in my life, with an illness that prevented me from working for several months. During that time I was using my cards to get by, and after a while one of my cards (Discover) noticed that my used credit to open credit ratio got too high, and they drastically lowered my credit line, causing me to be declined the next time I went to use it. So while cards that acknowledge your credit can be great with their perks, there are no guarantees that they'll be there when you need them.

It's so nice to have cards actually reward you for being good. I'm sorry to hear about your illness and poor experience with Discover. It's a stark reminder that these are big companies that don't really care about you.

Having excellent credit can be a plus when looking at applying for a new credit card. You will likely see lower interest rates and lower fees on your card. However, that does not mean you cannot find a similar card with great benefits and rates if you don't have excellent credit. many times good credit is all that it takes to be qualified for a great credit card. On the flip side, I actually had the Sony Card from Capital One with excellent credit and found my interest rate was still very high.

I have been working through a few poor decisions from my past. My credit is in good standing now. I definitely want to work towards a card that requires an extremely good credit score. Mainly for the benefits and advantages that come with it. Anyone interested in building credit could agree with that.

In order to really take advantage of all of the benefits that can be had using a credit card, excellent credit is needed. Credit cards that require excellent credit ratings afford the card user benefits such as higher credit limits, special concierge services, lower interest rates, and deals on entertainment activities to name a few. The amount and type of benefits that are available for lower credit ratings are not as favorable. The valuable benefits given to these excellent credit cards do have an annual fee to use them, which can be a turn off to some.

I think it is extremely difficult to get an excellent credit card these days because the fees are too high on most cards and the benefits aren't that great. Only the exclusive cards for the rich such as the AMEX black card are worth having. I have had good credit for awhile but don't spend enough money to really get the most out of a better card with higher credit limits. I currently have an American Express Blue card but will probably upgrade to a Gold card in the near future when I move into a house.

I definitely agree that cards requiring "excellent" credit most always have the best perks, as there is less liability involved. As someone who had credit problems in the past, I do not recall any of the "so-so' cards having lucrative rewards programs (in fact, most offered no points and involved paying high annual maintenance fees). After re-building my credit and responding to an offer for the Chase Sapphire card in the mail, I gained approval and access to some of the best benefits on the market! I now use my card for nearly all purchases and pay it off in full each billing cycle.

One of the concepts that I didn't understand when I got my first credit card was having a good credit score. Luckily, I applied for a credit card that was introductory and I managed to build up my credit score little by little. My first card that I got was a Chase Slate card, and I carried it for about 7 years. I paid off my credit in full every month, and by doing so, I built up my credit. I increased my credit limit when appropriate and I never used more credit than I had. I kept my balance below 30% of the credit limit and I feel this also contributed to my high credit score. Because I maintained a good credit score, I feel that by using this method, applying for a credit card requiring a high credit score is made easier. I was eventually able to upgrade to a Chase Freedom and Sapphire card, both of which require decent credit score and management.

This is excellent advice, particularly about building credit with one of the Chase cards. I took the same upgrade path from a Slate to a Sapphire. The key to building good credit is using the card minimally, paying it off monthly, and only making big purchases for something rare, like a vacation or an emergency. The Chase cards typically provide a good APR and the Sapphire card, which you should qualify for if you have good credit, provides some amazing rewards if you travel frequently. I frequently travel for work using my Sapphire card, and the rewards that I earn help pay for leisure travel. None of it would be possible had I not had the good credit to qualify for the card.

In my experience, reward cards that provide any reasonably good rewards, require better than average up to excellent credit. I’ve had a rewards card for a few years and my credit isn’t that great, but really the rewards are almost useless. I see these cards that give a lot of cash back or other benefits but when I research them, I discover that excellent credit is required, which eliminates me and pretty must everyone else. The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is an example of a card for the elite people with excellent credit.

I got a standard Visa card a few years back in order to be able to gain a credit score. While I would admit owning one is a risk, since it seems to make buying things you can't afford reasonable, and the Visa fees are rather dubious, overall it's something good to do in advance. I think Visa is a reasonable company to go with, since they're one of the few that are more or less accepted everywhere. The customer service is sometimes sketchy, however. If you have problems or questions, you may have to jump through hoops for awhile just to even talk to someone, much less will it be someone who knows how to resolve it.

I signed up for the Marriott Rewards Premier card when I was making some hotel reservations for my job last year. The company reimburses me so I can use any card I want and since I get extra points when I spend at a Marriott hotel. I have to say it was totally worth it. The real deciding factor for me though was the 50,000 bonus points for signing up that I was able to use on a vacation this past summer. I really love this card and would recommend it to anyone who pays there balance off every month, but wants the benefit of some great rewards points.

When looking for a good credit card, Discover is always a good choice. I started my credit with them 4 years ago in college, and 3 Discover cards later I use a Discover It card. If you are not careful the fees may get out of hand as with any card, but if you are responsible and keep a low to no balance you really can't choose a better company in terms of customer service. Also, Discover has came through with some fringe benefits for this card such as free credit checks, 1-5% cash back, travel assistance, job loss assistance, etc. The only real negative with this card is that some retailers may not take Discover.

I have a perfect credit history and consequently an excellent credit score so I pretty much have the pick of the cards I want. Having said that I tend to select credit cards that as well as a reasonable interest rate, also have some kind of reward program. As an addicted Amazon shopper it made perfect sense to look into an Amazon credit card. With the backing of Chase, a sensible interest rate 10.9% and all the usual credit card benefits, the thing that really swayed me was the excellent rewards program. I earn points for purchasing using my card almost everywhere and earn extra points using it on the Amazon website. It has become an excellent means of saving a little something extra towards Christmas presents and I have no problems recommending it.

I have very good credit and find that the card that best suits my current needs is the Chase Slate Visa. This card offers very attractive balance transfer rates at 0% APR with terms of 12 to 15 months, a great purchase APR and some very helpful card benefits that you can use to help you plan out your payment schedule to get your balances paid off faster. I have been using this card for approximately three years and have always gotten great customer service whenever I had any questions or concerns. I highly recommend the Chase Slate Visa Card to anyone looking for an excellent balance transfer card.

I use the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express. I initially wanted the Blue Cash Preferred card, but then I figured out that the Everyday doesn't have much difference in what it offers in terms of value at a slightly lower price. Since I photograph wildlife, i constantly change my lens which often mount to hundreds of dollars and since it is within my capability to repay the dues on time, I thought having this card would be the best way to have a great credit history. Blue cash doesn't have much to offer for small purchases, but if purchases are quite high, the features and reward points are simply the best!

I've had the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Cards for about 2 years now, and it's absolutely one of the best cards that I've ever used. My deciding factor in choosing the Capital One VentureOne card was its slightly lower interest rate. I have a few other cards with interest rates ranging from 12-18 percent, my VentureOne card has been steady at 11.9% since signing up for it. I usually make quite a few large purchases on credit and tend to carry balances for a couple months before paying them off, so a card with a low interest rate was an absolute necessity for me. I highly recommend the Capital One VentureOne Rewards card.

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We work hard to show you up-to-date product terms, however, this information does not originate from us and thus, we do not guarantee its accuracy. Before submitting an application, always verify all terms and conditions with the offering institution. Please let us know if you notice any differences.

† Approval Odds are WalletHub estimates intended to gauge your likelihood of approval for a particular product. Approval Odds are based on WalletHub data and are not provided or endorsed by the lender. Approval Odds are not meant to imply or guarantee that you will be approved by the lender or that credit will be extended.

Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.

Editorial and user-generated content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any issuer.